At least 50 Indian business executives based in New Delhi were tricked into an elaborate extortion set-up

At least 50 Indian business executives based in New Delhi were tricked into an elaborate extortion set-up, ‘honey trapped’ on LGBT dating app Grindr and then blackmailed with their own intimate, and often embarrassing, photos.
Targeting wealthy individuals in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad, a gang of extortionists sought to bilk everything from cash, laptops, and watches from the corporate bigwigs, among them CEOs. Some 150 people fell victim to the enterprise, not all of them businessmen.

“Around 50 executives of top multinational companies in Delhi-NCR have been duped and robbed,” said Gurugram police commissioner Muhammad Akil, noting that the victims, “fearing social stigma,” were not prepared to take legal action against the culprits, even refusing to make statements to police.

In most cases, after meeting with their hoax ‘dates’ in remote locales under the guise of a romantic rendezvous, the victims were then ambushed, beaten, robbed, and photographed in the nude, with the perpetrators keeping the photos in hopes of extorting additional valuables.